The Obsidian War
by Xhavius
Summary: When Sly and his gang get caught up in a secret criminal war, they are surrounded by questionable friends, vicious enemies, and lost secrets.
1. A Secret Beginning

Hello and welcome all fanfic readers. Please take note that this is my first fanfic and close to my first story so any reviews, comments, suggestions etc are welcome.

Disclaimer: Sly Cooper and the crew are owned by Sucker Punch. I came up with this story with the help of my friend Sam.

It was an unassuming building, looking like a simple high rise apartment complex. The only thing that set it apart from thousands of similar buildings around the world was the unusual activity around it. First and large Humvee pulled up, looking like it was stolen from the military. Two huskies in nondescript clothes got out, glancing around the area in the behavior that marked them obviously as bodyguards. The next person to get out would have made almost anyone's blood run cold. He was a bear, massive even for his kind, dressed in a long greatcoat, heavy black boots and a fur hat, marked with a red star. He stepped inside, followed quickly by his bodyguards. The next car would have drawn glances and odd looks if certain sinister gentlemen with shoulder holsters hadn't cleared the surround blocks an hour ago. A long, sleek black truck pulled up. The back opened up and something, slithered out. And sleek white limousine was next, and as it stopped two cats in suits stepped out, not bothering to conceal the small compact machine guns they held. A strikingly beautiful vixen in a kimono stepped out, her black hair done up in a bun. She, like the rest stepped inside. The last visitors arrived in a helicopter, preceded by several rats with what looked like weapons stolen from the set of Star Wars. A scruffy looking squirrel got out first, dressed in khaki cargo pants and a maroon vest covered with pockets that had bits of technological doodads sticking out, completing his ensemble with a pair of small crimson goggles. The last figure got out, and the air seemed to turn cold around him. He was a tall cougar, dressed in a white silk shirt and dress pants, completing his ensemble with a pair of stylish sunglasses and a long black trench coat. He stepped inside after the squirrel, the rats following quickly after him.

All of the people took places at a round table in a darkened room, fulfilling no end of stereotypes. They all sat, except for a massive green cobra, which simply coiled himself at his place

"It is decided then?" the cougar said, his very voice commanding attention.

"Indeed", the bear said, his thick Russian accent obvious, "It is our only choice".

"He is an outsider, and therefore may have the upper hand in our conflict" the fox said softly, her accent obviously Japanese. "He would be a wildcard, a way to strike back."

"I am reluctant to call in thissssssss outssider in on our business though." The cobra's voice was made almost unintelligible by his hissing.

"Ve HAVE NO CHOICE!" The squirrel screamed, his Germanic accent obvious. "We once ranked forty, and now it is down to us five. We have survived the attacks only through a combination of luck, skill and quick thinking. Our luck can only last so long, so it must be done.

"We must contact Sly Cooper."


	2. Mysterious Forces

Hello and Welcome to Chapter 2 of the Obsidian War. My request for comments and reviews is still open.

Disclaimer: The 'coon and crew are owned by Sucker Punch. All Hail Sucker Punch!

The boxcar sat on the outskirts of Paris. Many people in the nearby neighborhood had complained about it, calling it an eyesore that brought down property values. A local even started up a campaign to get it removed, but the campaign had been plagued with mysterious accidents and missing paperwork, culminating in a break in on the complainer's house. The focus however, is not on the boxcar itself, but its residents.

"Are you done yet?"

"No"

"Are you done yet?"

"No"

"Are you done yet?"

"NO, I AM NOT DONE, AND I WILL NOT BE FOR QUITE SOME TIME!" screamed a very irritated green turtle named Bentley. Sly had been asking him the same thing for about ten minutes now, more to bug his small green friend than anything else. Bentley had been running a search for a new job on Thiefnet, but with little avail. There were no ancient artifacts, rare jewels, or fine art on display anywhere.

"Hey guys" Murray said as he stepped out of the kitchen, "Do you mind keeping it down. I'm trying to learn these dance steps."

As shocked as Sly and Bentley were about Murray's new hobby, it didn't slow Sly at all when he saw a black sedan speeding up towards the boxcar.

"GET DOWN!" He screamed as he leapt across the room and tackled Murray to the ground (No easy feat) and Bentley hit the deck just as fast.

Instead of the hail of machine gun fire or explosives they expected however, they were assailed by a small package thrown through the open window. Sly jumped to the window, only to see the sedan speed off towards town.

Murray picked himself up.

"Should I get the van?" he inquired as he dusted himself off.

"No", Sly answered, "they'd be long gone by then. Let's take a look at what our mysterious friends "sent" us." Bentley approached the package slowly, eying it suspiciously. It was a simple package, the size of a software box, wrapped in brown paper and tied with some twine. There was no address, return or otherwise. Sly lifted his cane, and neatly slit the twine. Inside was a box, that when opened, turned out to contain a DVD inside a jewel case, a note that had _Watch Me _written on it. Sly looked at Bentley and raised an eyebrow. Bentley nodded and Sly walked over to the DVD player and inserted the disk. A black background appeared, followed by two lines of text. The first line read, _Go To This Site_, the second was a website that not even Bentley had heard of.

"Well?" Sly queried.

"We haven't had much business lately." Murray said.

"I'm certainly very suspicious," answered Bentley, "but this certainly is an interesting opportunity."

"Decided then!" Sly said exuberantly, and strode quickly to the computer. He sat down and connected, quickly typing in the site. He connected to it, and was pulled out of the chair by Bentley, who then hauled himself into the chair (this is after Sly 2 so Bentley is in a wheelchair) and took his rightful place at the computer chair. The site was a simple white background with an address and a time on it.

"204 Black Springs, Rue Bastille eh?" Murray said, "I know where that is. It's a high end apartment building downtown. Not too far either."

"This certainly is… intriguing." Sly muttered. "This sounds like an interesting opportunity. I think we have an appointment to keep this afternoon."

"As suspicious as I am of mysterious messages delivered by drive-by," Bentley said, "I've been searching for a job all morning and haven't found anything. If we take appropriate precautions I think we should check this out. But don't think I have thrown caution to the wind. I'm printing up maps of the neighborhood and I want everyone to familiarize themselves with three plans of escape. We have to be careful!"

The Cooper van drove into the very expensive neighborhood that their meeting was located in. It would have been a normal, everyday neighborhood, except for the fact that it was strangely empty of pedestrian traffic. Murray stopped the van in the parking lot of a building two blocks away, quickly putting up the panels that disguised the most distinctive features of the van. Bentley sat at his computer, the communications headset on his head as he triple-checked the escape plans. Sly go out, his hat and cane hidden under the long brown coat he was wearing to hide his distinctive blue garb. He walked with a strong, quick stride towards an unassuming apartment building. As he approached the building however, he noticed that the doorman was a little out of place. A tall, athletic husky stood in front, wearing a simple brown suit with a bulge under his coat that was obvious to Sly's practiced eye. He held up his hand as Sly approached, spoke quickly into a microphone clipped to his sleeve, and gestured for Sly to come over.

"Come in Mr. Cooper," the husky said, his Russian accent obvious, "they are expecting you. Eighth floor. " Sly stepped inside without a word. The lobby was filled with men who were obviously guards, at least four, and they eyed Sly as he stepped in. He strode to the elevator and stepped inside. When he reached the eighth floor he was greeted by an unusual site. One large room, it's only furnishings a large round table and chairs. At these chairs sat a variety of interesting people. The tall cougar stood up and gestured to a chair opposite to him.

"Please, have seat Mr. Cooper. Allow me to introduce my companions and myself. This large fellow here," he said indicating a massive bear that was seven feet if he was an inch "is Vladimir Zhaov. This is Professor Otto Van Trysk," next gesturing to the scruffy squirrel with goggles, "Ms. Kitsune" the striking fox in the kimono, "Apep" the massive cobra, "and I am Dr. Michael Xavius. We represent the Obsidian League.

_I had heard of the Obsidian League. There are references to them in the Thievious Racconus in several chapters. They are an ancient, nation-spanning Thieves Guild that was founded in ancient Babylon. Known as the Obsidian League because of the obsidian tokens they used to identify their members, they have had a varied history. They try to uphold some tenets of honor, but they accept almost anyone with the right background so it's difficult. In their history they have been an honorable Thieves guild, an organization trying to uphold honor, and a gang of bloodthirsty thieves. The question is, what are they now?_

Sly thought about all this as he sat down.

"This is all very interesting, but why have you contacted me?"

"We have contacted you, Mr. Cooper," Xhavius said with a sigh, "Because we desperately need your help."


	3. Party Crashers

Hello and welcome. It's taken a bit to update again, but that's because school started. BLEGH! Anyway, I have a question for my assembled colleagues. How do you write the bio that appears when you click your penname? Cookies to anyone who can tell me!

Note: Italics are flashbacks and thoughts

"You need my help?" Sly asked with a quizzical note in his voice. "You comprise of some of the world's best criminals. You supposedly have huge resources at your disposal. What would you want with a thief like me? Even with my oh so deserved title of "master thief."

Xhavius removed his mirrored sunglasses, showing for a moment ice-cold blue eyes. He rubbed his eyes with a paw and spoke.

"Mr. Cooper, you see the Obsidian League is at the worst it has ever been in centuries. Once we numbered forty members, but now our ranks have been reduced down to only those you see before you. Only those that by skill, cunning and no small amount of luck have been spared. You see, one and a half years ago, we came under attack by an enemy that we still don't know the identity of. It started with the disappearance of one of our members, but soon escalated, with members being assassinated, disappearing or being arrested every few weeks, or days! You knew Joan D'Angelo, did you not?

_I knew Joan. She was a fellow thief with a pen chance of stealing items that belonged to great females in history. We had crossed paths once or twice, and become friends. She was a charming individual, with a way of being absolutely blunt without seeming offensive._

"You said knew?"

"Yes Mr. Cooper, Ms. D'Angelo was one of our members,"

"And a personal friend of mine." The fox that had been introduced as Kitsune said.

"She was visiting some archaeologist friends of hers in Northern Africa. She didn't report in after a few days and we investigated. We found the bodies of her and her friends. They had been killed by machine gun fire. You also knew Hideski, correct?

_Hideski was a happy, jovial chipmunk who ran a pick pocketing ring in Munich. I had met him at an underworld gala. He was one of those men who you just couldn't help but like immediately. He was also the only person I knew who could stuff more food in his cheeks than Murray._

Sly just nodded.

"He disappeared from his flat seven months ago. Despite scouring most jails and criminal organizations, he has yet to be found. We fear the worst. As I said, our mysterious enemy has reduced our ranks drastically, and we have been completely unable to retaliate or aid our members. We require outside help, as our skills have been woefully inadequate. Even I, as the Chairman of the League, was attacked only a month ago. So we sought out you."

_A dark night on a poorly lit dock in the U.S. Xhavius was fighting fiercely against three darkly clad assailants. Two others already lay on the ground, badly injured. The assassins kept up a fierce attack, punching and kicking, keeping Xhavius on the defensive. Then the tawny cougar struck an assassin's nose with the heel of his hand, snapping the creature's head back. He then launched a furious wave of blows on another target, overwhelming his defenses. The last assassin prepared to attack from behind, but didn't notice a large dark shape behind him. A large shape with very sharp teeth._

"I understand your plight," Sly said, still not completely understanding, "but again, why me?"

"Mr. Cooper, you are legendary! Your lineage is that of the greatest thieves in the world." Xhavius became more and more excited as he spoke. "You have brought down criminal organizations that made even us wary! You defeated a criminal mastermind with THOUSANDS of years of experience. Then you again defeated his reborn body. The question we asked, when we thought of one who could help us, was why not you?"

Sly thought, and eyed his would-be employers. He couldn't tell what the snake was thinking, the reptile's eyes were closed, and he almost seemed asleep. The bear and the squirrel were holding a whispered conversation, while the fox sat in her chair, her face a blank mask. He finally brought his gaze upon the spokesman, this Dr. Xhavius. He was obviously tall, wearing a long black leather trench coat, while stylish pair of mirrored sunglasses hid eyes that had caused a shiver to run up Sly's spine when he had glimpsed them.

As he considered his options, a different set of events happened below. Yuri Yahrakov stood at the front of the building, his ramrod posture betraying his former military profession. As head of Vladimir Zhaov's bodyguards, he didn't need to stand out front. But the cool air of the French evening was refreshing, especially to one used to the near-freezing temperatures of eastern Russia. He became mildly suspicious as he saw a van make a sharp turn to face the building's iron fence gate. He became even more suspicious as the van picked up speed, then made a decision and ducked inside, yelling out a warning as the van continued to speed, a fleet of police cars and SWAT vans driving behind it. The van continued and rammed the gate at high speed. Despite the reinforced gate, the van tore right off its hinges and continued on, skidding expertly so the rear doors faced the front of the building. The doors burst open, and a SWAT team poured out. The other vehicles quickly set up a perimeter and several more SWAT teams approached the building. Gunfire was audible as the police fought it out with the various enforcers the Obsidian League had brought with them.

Back on the windowless 8th floor, everyone heard a crash. A few moments later Kitsune pulled a cell phone from her kimono, her face still a blank mask.

"Yes, they've done what, right away. That was my lieutenant Hikaru. INTERPOL has found us. They've surrounded the building and are attempting to storm it. I suggest we implement a rapid retreat, as our men will not be able to hold them."

"I will go to assist them," the bear known as Vladimir said. He pulled a large revolver from his great coat and stood up. It was only then that Sly realized his size. He had to be seven ft tall at least, and very bulky. He disappeared into a door in the wall and Sly could hear him pounding down the steps.

"Well Mr. Cooper," Xhavius said as he stood up, "will you help us or not? I suggest you make your decision quickly, as INTERPOL wants you almost as much as it wants us."

"I can't guarantee anything until I talk to my friends," Sly said, "but I'm willing to consider your proposal."

"Excellent! Here is a disk that can be used to initiate a web cam chat with one of us. If you decide to help us, just use it and I promise we pay well. This was our last communal safe house, so with its discovery we'll be forced to retreat to our personal havens. Can you make your own way out?"

"I'm sure I'll figure out something."

Back in the foyer the gunfight had become a vicious stalemate. The SWAT teams had been driven out of the building and into the yard, but they had the Obsidian League pinned down. Vladmir hugged the side of the large hole that had once been the double doors until a breach charge had blown it open. He snapped off a shot and was rewarded with a glancing hit, the power of his gun spinning the Swat team member, despite only clipping him. He looked at his subordinate, Yuri, from across the hole.

"Begin moving the men out and back towards their bosses. Take our men and escape through the vehicle tunnels below. I'll cover our escape. These decadent French pigs will learn their lesson!

Sly had gone up a floor to get a better perspective. He heard a noise behind him and turned to see the fox, Kitsune behind him. She had shed her kimono to reveal loose-fitting black clothes. She ran towards a window and out of it. To Sly's amazement, she kicked off the windowsill and leaped several floors to the roof. She then kicked off the top and with a jump the likes of which Sly had never seen in his life, leapt to a neighboring building and onward. On the roof, several rats fired at their attackers from the heights, their strange, futuristic weapons making a noise similar to a buzz saw. Van Trysk bounded on all fours towards his helicopter, avoiding the fire from the auto-target turret set on the side of a circling police chopper. Xhavius walked slowly, then stopped. He reached inside his jacket and pulled out a black pistol. He took aim, and shot out the spotlight the auto-turret was using to acquire targets. He then strode swiftly into the helicopter as the rest of the rats piled in and it took off.

Back on the ground floor Vladimir emptied his gun at a pair of police. He had just used his last bullets, and both he and Apep were still trapped within the blockade, Apep's special truck unable to leave with the blockade in place. Vladimir felt his anger building. These fools dared to attack both him and his comrades. His vision began to turn red, and he stepped from cover, quickly picking up speed until he was at a full run. He ran straight at the police line, screaming obscenities in Russian. The police opened fire with both shock and regular weapons. The fire just seemed to be absorbed by the raging beast rapidly rushing toward them. He took a dozen bullets and countless shock rounds but continued to charge, smashing straight through the police line, upturning cars and knocking officers aside in his fury. A sleek black truck pulled out right after him, and Sly saw his chance. As it began to speed away he leapt out the window, and just grabbed the back of the truck. He climbed on top, riding as it blew through the gaping hole in the blockade left by the rampaging bear. As it screeched a turn, he leapt off and rapidly ran to the Cooper van, still sitting where he had left it. He leapt inside and Murray sped off. As they were driving Bentley turned a worried gaze on Sly.

"What happened? You went in, and then a whole army of cops showed up. We were worried you'd been arrested or worst."

On the way back to the hideout Sly explained everything that had happened to him. Bentley was dubious at first, but agreed to look into it. Murray quickly agreed, as he had been almost as bored as Sly when no jobs turned up, hence the dancing lessons, later to be revealed as Dimitri's Dance Beats.


	4. A Grey Past

Hello and welcome. Because of school it has been a while since the last update but now I give you what I hope you've all been clamoring for!

Disclaimer: Sucker Punch blah blah Sly Cooper and so on

Carmelita was mad. She'd been stuck in Paris traffic for about thirty minutes now ever since she had left the airport. She'd just come back from Brazil, following a promising Cooper lead. It had turned into a two-week game of cat and mouse through the streets of the city and it ended when Carmelita caught the supposed "Sly Cooper" and it turned out to be a simple copycat criminal. She finally made it to her turn and made it out of achingly slow traffic. She drove into the Interpol parking lot and parked her custom red vehicle. She walked inside, and moved quickly through the security checkpoint. As she entered the inner offices she was greeted by an unusual sight. At least a dozen of her colleagues, some nursing injuries, were scurrying about even more frantically than was normal. She turned to the nearest officer, a young warthog she didn't know who was holding an icepack to a large bruise on his head.

"So what happened here?"

"There was a major tip-off from that mysterious benefactor we have, you know the "Voice from Beyond? Well, he told us there was a major criminal gathering going on, so we rallied everyone, only they put that SWAT nutcase Benson in charge of tactics so we came in guns blazing and got our rears handed to us, though there weren't any lethal casualties Thank God. Everyone escaped and some of us got hurt. This one guy, he was practically a living tank. He rushed the police blockade and burst right through it, even clipped me a good one."

"Interesting" Carmelita said and began walking away.

"Oh, and one other thing I think will interest you," the warthog said as Carmelita walked away, "Sly Cooper was seen at the meeting."

Carmelita walked away, her anger seething. Not only did she spend two weeks in Brazil for nothing, while she was away Cooper was hobnobbing with some big crime syndicate. She made a right turn towards her office, but heard some call out

"Carmelita, the Chief wants you in his office right away."

Carmelita sighed and headed towards Chief Rob's office. She opened the door and took a seat. Rob sat behind his desk, his pugnacious features in his usual noncommittal look.

"Carmelita, first I would like to welcome you back. As you very well may know, Sly Cooper was seen at Interpol's recent...escapade."

Carmelita wondered how he knew that she knew about the failed bust. His reputation for knowing what people already knew bordered on superhuman at times.

"Sly Cooper was spotted with some very high-class criminals. We want you to look in to the possible connection Sly may have with these characters. However, I'm assigning you a partner." Carmelita began to open her mouth and Chief Rob held up a hand to cut her off. "This is not because you are doing a bad job, but the man I'm assigning you is an expert on two of the criminals spotted with Cooper and he could probably use your experience with Cooper while he pursues the other two. Allow me to introduce him."

Carmelita heard the door open and turned around. A wolf stepped in, dressed in a casual brown suit and tie. He would be considered ruggedly handsome by some, and had striking silver streaks running through his grey fur.

"Hello, I'm Grey, Wallace Grey, MI-6." He spoke with an English accent and offered his hand to Carmelita. She took it and he shook it with a firm grip.

"Agent Grey has been brought in because of these two men." Chief Rob said, as he pulled out a tan file. He opened it and beckoned Carmelita over, then held up two photos. One was of a large bear in a greatcoat and fur hat speaking with some ferrets on a dock, a crates labeled in Russian behind them. The other was of a tall cougar with striking blue eyes talking with an old gazelle in what looked like a deserted classroom. "Vladimir Zhaov and Dr. Michael Xavius respectively detective Fox, both very dangerous men. Vladimir Zhaov is an extremely vicious ex-wrestler, ex-Russian Mafia enforcer turned very influential smuggler. He traded some old Soviet hardware for some top quality tech stolen by the IRA and Agent Gray here and the SAS caught up with him in English waters. Zhaov escaped, but Gray got enough experience with him to be MI-6's expert. The cougar is even more dangerous. Michael Xavius graduated from Oxford with several degrees, including psychology, medicine, and DNA research. He then came back a few years later for a teaching job in the Life Sciences department. Some equipment went missing and they traced it to him however. The police searched his house and found," Chief Rob sighed at this point, seemingly gathering his strength for the next statement. "They found some sort of mad scientist lab. He had used the stolen equipment to do some sort of genetic engineering experiment. I've only seen the pictures and read the reports and it still disturbs me. The police attempted to arrest him, only to have the good Doctor put three officers in critical condition. He disappeared, only to resurface some time later as an influential criminal mastermind. Agent Grey encountered Xavius twice, but both times Xavius got away."

"As you can see Detective Fox, these are men that must be stopped." Grey said, breaking his silence. If Sly Cooper is involved with them then he is going in over his head, and I would greatly appreciate your aid in capturing them."

Carmelita let this all stir in her thoughts. A mad scientist and a vicious smuggler working with Cooper? She picked up the file and began thumbing through it. Grey and Chief Rob just watched. She stopped on the page with one of the photos of Xavius's lab and only countless CSI's saved her from vomiting.

"I'll be happy to help Agent Gray with this case," she said as her bile lowered, "one thing bothers me though. Cooper is a thief, but a thief with a code of honor, no matter how twisted it might be. What is he doing working with two men like these?"


	5. Bang! You're dead

Sorry about the time between updates. School has been really hectic. On a plus note I HAVE SLY 3! WHEE! BWHAHA and so on and so forth. I would like to ask again though, how do I add things to my personal profile? I would really appreciate if someone would tell me. Lastly, Guru is awesome.

Bentley booted up the computer and put in the disk Xavius gave them. He ran it through a gauntlet of virus and worm detection. When he determined it was simply a word document he loaded it up. It was the location of a dead drop in Prague and a special frequency labeled, "for Emergency Use Only". It also contained the little information the Obsidian League had on their mysterious attackers. It consisted of a few photos of slain assassins, who had no connection whatsoever. One had been a bouncer in a bar in Ohio, another a yoga instructor from Portugal and so on and so forth. No connection whatsoever, except one day they had acquired firearms, in some cases automatics, and decided to come gunning for Obsidian League members.

Bentley then started doing some background research on the Obsidian League members. Xavius and Van Trysk were recorded as have been expelled from universities, one in England and Germany respectively, though details were scarce. Vladimir apparently had connections to the Russian Mafia in Vladivostok and Apep had connections with several organized crime organizations. There was absolutely no information on anyone named Kitsune, but it was probably an alias.

"The League members seem to be your typical group of successful criminals. With the price they're offering, we should definitely take this job. I mean fifty million coins! That's quite a lot of cash." Bentley said as he finished up on his computer. "We could do so much with that kind of money."

"I could turn the van into a super-vehicle." Murray said with glee, rubbing his hands together. "And I could buy SO MUCH food." Sly just smiled, images of an entire field of flowers with a certain vixen's name on it. Or perhaps a tank, it might be more appropriate.

"We have a lot of contacts on both sides of the law." Sly said. "We should begin looking for unusual activities in the underworld. Anything might be useful"

_We spent two months combing the underworld. We probably didn't cover much ground the Obsidian League hadn't already canvassed, but maybe we could see it from a different perspective. Weeks of breaking into records rooms, weeks of questioning informants from dozens of different nations, weeks of hacking, driving and climbing. We learned several influential criminal gangs had been wiped out, but that sort of thing happens all the time. Finally a paranoid acquaintance of ours named Mr. Everywhere gave us a lead. Mr. Everywhere is a master hacker who watches every signal he can, from military broadcasts to travel plans. He told us, after a hefty fee, that all of the assassins had once visited a town in Montana called Little Albedo. It was a slim lead, but it was a start. We just kept thinking of those fifty million coins._

Lita was having a slow day. Working at an airport was never exciting, but today was especially boring. It was a Tuesday, which was never a popular day for flying. She began drifting off, thinking about the new paint scheme for her apartment, until a voice snapped her back to reality.

"Excuse me Miss, but could we get our tickets please?" Lita looked up and was greeted with an unusual sight. A large green hippo in biker leathers loomed above her. Next to him was a short turtle, also green, dressed in punk style, with a large orange Mohawk. It was the last person who caught her eye though. He was a raccoon also dressed in leather, but was more stylish than the other two. He had an athlete's muscle and deep brown eyes. He spoke again. "Could we have our tickets please? There under the name Cartwright."

Sly and the gang's disguises and fake IDs worked perfectly. The flight to America was uneventful, except for the couple across the aisle, who seemed to think that Murray was going to mug them during the flight. The van made the journey easily as well, and the gang drove out of the L.A. airport towards Little Albedo. It took a day or two, but it was fun. The gang decided to keep the fake identity of the Cartwright Boys, the remains of a particularly mean but essentially harmless biker gang. They pulled off the highway into Little Albedo. It looked a lot like an old western town, with all the important buildings along a main street. For tourism reasons it even looked like an old west town, with wooden facades and even a few posts for tying up horses. Murray effortlessly pulled the van into a mostly empty parking lot adjacent to the building marked Hotel. The lobby was completely empty except for the clerk at the desk. Sly asked for two rooms.

"You sure you want a room?" The clerk said, unusually nervous. He pulled at his collar, sweat beading his brow. "Might not be the right thing. This town isn't right for guys like you. Nothing here for tough guys like you." He pulled at his collar again, his breathing quickening.

"What's wrong with you?" Murray asked, his size and appearance belying the concern in his voice.

"You boys ought to leave here. Today's Friday, and well, biker boys like you don't want to be here Friday. It isn't safe for guys like you." Suddenly there was a loud noise, like an army of engines closing in on the town. "They're here!" The clerk dived under his desk and cowered. Sly, Murray and Bentley rushed outside, interested in finding out what was the commotion was.

A large crowd of bikers had pulled up on the other end of the street, at least twenty of them. The biker in front got off his bike. He was a tall hound dog, dressed like a character out of a western. He wore a cowboy hat, vest and leather chaps. Tall boots adorned his feet, with wickedly sharpened spurs on each heel. A revolver hung on either hip. He strode forward, his eyes on Sly.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here? A rival bunch here to mess up our town? Got to be pretty mean if you think you can take us all with only three of ya." The hound dog spoke with a western drawl, his cold eyes fixed on Sly. "I'm Tex, and this here is my town. You want to challenge me for it, so be it."

"The people of the town certainly don't seem to like you," Sly retorted, "so I'm going to have to ask you to leave."

"HA, HA, HA!" Tex laughed hardily. "That a challenge, boy? Ya see, I'm a bit well known as a marksman, and you seem to be unarmed. DANCE YOU MISERABLE COON!" With these words he moved fast, almost faster than Sly could follow, and whipped out both revolvers.


	6. The Big Brawl

Greetings my friends. I have finally found the time to update my story. I again will say that Sly 3 is an awesome game and the Panda King is very nifty

Sly leapt to the up and to the right, using is incredible leaping ability to launch himself seven feet into the air and away from the whizzing bullets fired by Tex. Murray instinctively threw himself flat as the bullets started flying and Bentley wheeled quickly down an alley.

"You can run coon! But you can't hide!" Shouted Tex, continuing to fire as Sly rushed down a side street, "I'll get the coon, you boys get the para and his big buddy." Murray picked himself up off the ground, only to be greeted by the sight of about twenty angry bikers rushing at him. He jumped back a few feet and put up his fists. He was a fierce combatant, but twenty opponents seemed a little much, even for him. As the mob passed a darkened alley several of the bikers in the back seemed to slump over, seemingly asleep. Murray smiled, knowing his diminutive partner was at work. He grabbed two of the frontrunners faces and rushed forward, dragging them down as he head butted a ferret, causing the biker to stagger back. By this time the rest of the mob had surrounded him forming a rough circle around him. They began cheering as a dog rushed him. A sort of sixth sense warned him of another presence behind him, and he grabbed his first opponent, throwing him into a weasel who was trying to stab him from behind.

Meanwhile, a rat biker called Strez turned from the circle to notice his insensate comrades. He called over two of his friends, a ferret and a coyote, called Fen and Thranx respectively.

"That seem a little unusual to you two?" Strez asked, a thick Bronx accent easily distinguishable in his speech.

"Yeh" Thranx responded, and followed as Strez began sniffing the air, walking towards an alley.

"I think I saw some movement back here." Fen said, and followed Strez towards the alley. They entered it, only to find nothing except a small metal sphere that flashed red from a band in the center.

"Wha" began Thranx who was cut short by an explosion that threw all three bikers were thrown off their feet. Fen blinked as he began to get up, Thranx having shielded him from the majority of the blast. He blurrily saw a small form in a wheel chair approach before lethargy filled him, and he slumped to the ground.

Murray took a punch to the chest from his opponent, barely feeling it. He lashed out, catching his opponent with a vicious right blow, and then dodging quickly to avoid a knife thrust from another biker. He grabbed the knifeman's arm, twisting, then knocking him to the ground and finishing him with a kick to the head. The circle of bikers, though diminished, cheered and shouted even louder, despite the fact that several of their number had fallen to "The" Murray's flying fists. He wondered why the cheering, then felt a burst of pain in his back that knocked him off his feet. He rolled over and leapt to his feet, facing a wiry monkey who was wielding a long chain with a metal weight at one end. The monkey snapped the weight out again, and then drew it back as Murray dodged aside. Murray got ready to rush his screeching opponent, but lost as the biker wrapped the chain around Murray's neck. He grabbed at it, trying to pull it off, but to no avail. He wracked his brain, trying to think of anything as his oxygen was slowly cut off. Just as he began to see spots he had an idea. He shifted his weight backwards, drawing the chain taut. He then wrapped a section around his hand and pulled the monkey towards him. He then swung his enemy upwards, bringing the monkey high above his head. He swung the biker around his head a few times, bringing him down with a resounding thud.

Meanwhile, Sly rushed down a side street, rushing past several buildings as bullets whizzed by him, one grazing his shoulder and another clipping his leg. He leapt over a metal fence and into an outdoor restaurant, jumping over and on two tables, then onto the balcony, then the roof. He glanced over his shoulder and saw Tex stop, quickly holstering one revolver, and reloading the other at an astonishing speed, then repeating the process. Sly leapt along the low Old-West style roofs, just staying ahead of Tex's shots. He crouched behind a sign as the shots ceased, an idea forming in his head. A few seconds later the shots started again. Sly counted them as he ran along the rooftops. One, two three four, as he sprinted across the top of a sign, five, six, seven, eight as he jumped to the next roof, nine, eleven, and twelve as he leapt to the ground. Sly realized that with Tex's speed he only had a few seconds, so as he hit the ground he twisted, and then jumped forward, rolling towards Tex, slamming both feet into his canine opponent. Tex was knocked off his feet with a grunt. He wordlessly rose to his feet and swung a quick punch at Sly. Sly regretted leaving his cane in he van, but it wouldn't have meshed with his disguise. He nimbly danced out of the way of Tex's blow, next barely dodged a follow-up kick that was made twice as dangerous by the wickedly sharp spurs on Tex's boots. Sly lashed out, hitting Tex with a one-two punch that made him stagger, at the same time noticing a very distinctive tattoo of a snake that coiled around Tex's hand and looked to stretch up his arm. Sly's observation was cut short as Tex punched again, but again failed to hit the nimble raccoon. Sly drop-kicked Tex, knocking him off his feet again. The hound dog staggered to his feet, then stepped back and raised his hands in a sign of defeat.

"Alright coon, you got me here. I'll leave, but I think you and I will cross paths again."

"We'll see," Sly said, keeping up a fighting stance, not completely trusting his opponent. Tex just walked away, stopping only to pick up his revolvers. When he reached the main thoroughfare he saw a good deal of his bikers on the ground moaning or unconscious.

"Let's go boys," he called. "Looks like you haven't done much better than me." Murray dropped the pig he was punching as the bikers still conscious picked themselves up and carried away those who weren't. They got on their bikes and rode away. Sly walked up to Murray, who was brushing himself off and checking his various bruises and injuries. Bentley wheeled up behind them, merely shaking his head as he saw the blood from the minor wounds Sly had taken.

"That was unusual," Sly said, "and I think we should investigate them further. But their already pretty far away and tracking them inconspicuously would be hard."

"Lucky for us then that I planted a few tracking devices." Bentley said with a smile. "We can follow them easily with a device I have in the van. This may be the best lead we've found since we began this job, or it could be an utter dead end."

"Only one way to find out then," Sly said with a mischievous grin.


	7. The Serpent Revealed

Hello, and greetings my fellow reality-forging friends, and welcome to another chapter of my story. Thank you all for complementing my story. I am particularly proud of my fight scenes. Squirrels are cool.

Sly, Murray and Bentley returned to the van and quickly shed their biker disguises. Murray revved up the van while Bentley began tinkering with his computer, tuning it to the homing device frequency. After a few seconds, Bentley nodded and began feeding Murray directions.

"I know this isn't your style Murray," said the diminutive turtle "but you need to be inconspicuous. We can't let those bikers know we're following them, or they'll lead us on a wild goose-chase. Normally your driving is more Italian Job style, but you need to be sneaky"

"Don't worry little buddy. I can tail them and they won't even notice. They won't notice so much, they'll notice not noticing anything!"

"Right. Just drive and I'll tell you which way to go. Sly, I want you to ride on the roof with some binoculars. We won't be going very fast, and I want you to double check my directions and tell us if the bikers start getting suspicious. Between the homing device and Sly, we should be able to follow them straight to their lair."

Murray eased off the gas and began following the bikers into a series of hills and outcroppings, following a twisting winding road. Twice Sly told them to hide around a bend to avoid the outriders Tex sent out when he thought he heard the Cooper Gang following him. Eventually the bikers reached what appeared to be an abandoned mine. The bikers stopped outside it and just seemed to wait. In a few minutes however, several more bikers stepped out of the rocks, seeming to appear out of thin air. If Sly hadn't had years of experience looking for hidden doors and panels he wouldn't even have spotted the hidden alcoves they had come out of. Unlike Tex's bikers, who hadn't been armed with anything more than knives or chains, these ones carried submachine guns. Three of them pulled out devices that Sly didn't recognize, but when he quickly leapt down and told Bentley about, made the turtle turn pale.

"Those are frequency detection readers. They pick up alien frequencies that shouldn't be in the surrounding area. In simpler terms, they're bug and homing device detectors."

Inspector Carmelita Montoya Fox took a left and drove down one of Paris's multitude of streets. Her mind was on the case, not her driving, but she had been living in Paris so long that most of the driving was automatic. She was going to meet her new partner, Wallace Grey, who insisted the partnership had nothing to do with the fact she hadn't caught Sly Cooper yet. In fact, he was remarkably sympathetic about it. Some of her coworkers mocked her about her inability to catch the infamous thief, or worse, whispered behind her back about the flirty way he always talked about her. She thanked God that they didn't know about that incident in Russia. Grey on the other hand, were waved it off with a "pish posh" and told her about one of his mentors in MI6, who had spent ten years pursuing a wanted terrorist. She slowed down at the cafe and pulled into the alley that led into the parking lot at the back of the building. She walked out of the alley and into the courtyard of the restaurant.

"Over here Inspector Fox, over here," called Grey from the table in the corner he was sitting at. As he spoke, Carmelita realized his voice sounded remarkably like that of Sean Connery. She walked over and took a seat.

"I've gone over the files you gave me on Zhaov and Xavius," Carmelita began, "and they seem like pretty bad characters. I've also heard of this Obsidian League they both belong to, but it's only whispers in the underworld. It's supposedly some kind of worldwide thieves' guild. It could just be a bluff to make themselves seem more influential, but that doesn't seem like the kind of thing either of our perps would do. What surprises me the most however is that Sly Cooper is working for them. He's a thief, but he has his own twisted code of honor. With the crimes Xavius in particular committed, you wouldn't think a person like Cooper would help him."

"Perhaps he doesn't know about the experiments Dr. Xavius performed," said Grey "due to the extreme nature of the materials seized, MI5 decided to seal all of his records unless one has the proper access. As far as your man Cooper might know, Xavius is just another run-of-the-mill criminal. What we need to worry about is catching them, not their inner motives. Interpol, MI6 and various police departments have tried catching these men, but have failed, as your branch knows from experience. We can use Cooper as bait to catch the rest of the targets, and everyone, except our criminals, loses. A, friend of mine who works in an airport reports, in her own words, a dashing raccoon traveling with a ugly green biker hippo and a punk turtle in a wheelchair. Due to the airport security cameras I then checked I believe this may be who we're looking for, and they've headed for America. As they were getting up, Carmelita decided to hazard it and said,

"You know, you sound just like Sean Conn."

He cut her off and said"Please don't start Inspector Fox. I work for MI6, sound like Sean Connery, and, if I do say so myself, have a certain rugged charm. There's another reason I don't like to be reminded of it, but I don't think I'll go into that right now. If you'll join me Inspector Fox, I've acquired tickets to the same airport the Cooper Gang flew into, and I would be happy to have you accompany me. By the way, may I call you Carmelita?"

"Sure," Carmelita said. As they walked away, she thought "maybe having a partner won't be so bad after all."

"A bug detector?" Sly whispered harshly, "so if they find your tracking device they'll scatter and we'll lose the lead."

"Don't worry about it," replied Bentley, "the device is of my own design, and I've incorporated a special feature. There is no single device. There are several very small beacons, that when broadcasting together to the properly attuned systems cause a frequency. The detectors probably won't even register the devices, and if they do they'll hardly cause a blip on the scanner. We should be fine." The armed guards slowly ran their detectors over the bikes, moving in a professional manner that was at odds with their biker dress. Sly, Bentley and Murray noted this, but continued plotting their entrance.

"Okay, Sly I want you to move around towards the far right side of the mine. The farthest alcove to the right is over there and I want you to take out the guard in it, then call for us and we'll all go in on this one. My online therapy classes say I should loosen up, so, against all better judgment I'm going to let this fly on the seat of its pants. On the bright side, how dangerous could some bikers be?" Sly and Murray just laughed and Sly grabbed his cane and began moving in a wide arc towards the hidden alcove that Bentley had signified. He approached it, and after staring at it for a minute or so, spotted the guard inside it. He took a risk and slunk towards the left of the alcove, nearer to the rest of the guards. He remained undetected and swiftly climbed up the rock until he was directly over the nook. He grabbed the edge and swung down, lashing out with both feet and slamming them into the guard with all his strength. The move knocked the guard right off his feet and Sly reached for the binocucom, only to see his opponent groggily begin rising to his feet. Sly whacked him solidly in the head several times with the cane, and he dropped again, not getting up. Sly noticed an unusual tattoo of some kind of green twisty shape, resembling a snake, but he only glanced at it for a second, so he barely noticed it. He called for Bentley and Murray and they snuck across in the same wide arc he had. Once their Bentley quickly located and dismantled an electric keypad, messed with some wires, and a section of rock slid aside to reveal a clean white room. The gang rushed inside and opened the door on the other side, revealing a long hallway that would be at home in a top secret government facility, with tiled floors and featureless walls. The Cooper Gang moved forward slowly and quietly towards one end of the hall, but as they were about to turn the corner two men in green uniforms with side arms and batons turned the corner first, seemingly oblivious to the Cooper Gang for about a second. Then one looked up and went for his gun.


	8. The Serpent Strikes

Thank you all for your positive comments. Sorry I didn't update sooner, but with school, and Thanksgiving etc, I haven't had the time.

The guard's hand flew towards his gun, but Sly was faster. He leapt forward and tackled the man, knocking him off his feet. The guard wasn't so easily dispatched however, and grabbed Sly's throat and cane and began trying to choke him while keeping Sly from hitting him with the cane. Meanwhile, Murray charged the other guard, who had reached for his baton. He brought it up just as Murray reached him, but was unable to get out of the way of a fierce punch. The guard didn't go down though, and lashed out, catching Murray on the side of the head. The hippo shook himself, them grabbed the guard and headbutted him twice, then dropped him to the ground. Sly was slowly overpowering his opponent, when suddenly the guard's grip went limp. Bentley pulled the dart he'd just jabbed into the guard out.

"Sly, check around the corner and see if anyone heard the commotion. Murray, drag these guys into the alcove we came in through." Bentley began examining one guard as Murray moved the other. He was a wiry pika, wearing a pistol and a metal baton. His clothes seemed to be a uniform, with a light green shirt and pants and a darker green bandolier and beret. Bentley also noticed a patch of a coiled serpent on his shoulder.

"Nobody's there," said Sly, as Murray disposed of the other guard. "We seem to be in an empty base. What surprises me though, is this building. It was supposed to be an abandoned mine until those bikers moved in, but this can't have been part of the mine. It reminds me of a hospital or a government facility."

"True," said Bentley. "I think this has gone beyond bikers. We may have discovered something big here."

"We've encountered big things before," declared Murray. "Mugg-Shot was big, and we handled him no problem. We can take on whatever these guys can throw at us. The only thing that that could be a rock in our road of success is how tough these guys seem to be. I punched one right in the face, and he seemed to be barely fazed. The bikers I fought back at the seemed to recover quickly too, but we should be fine as long as we combine our strengths."

"Atta boy Murray" said Sly. He then slunk up to the corner and peered around, then quickly drew back. "There's a security camera just around the corner. I could probably get by, but I don't know about you two."

"Don't worry Sly; I have an appropriate piece of technology right here." Bentley rummaged around in his wheelchair for a moment, and then pulled out what looked to be a thick laser pointer. "This is a looper. Now, this stylus only the targeting pointer. The actual device is in my wheelchair. You point it at a camera, and activate it. It reads what the camera is recording, and loops it. The only drawback is that the power supply is limited. I set up a battery pack, but if it runs out of juice for even a second, we're busted. I suggest we look for some sort of computer or information center so we can learn more about this place."

"Great, lets go," said Sly. They made their way quickly through the complex, stopping at every corner to check for guards or cameras. They narrowly avoiding several more patrols of two, until they made their way to a set of double doors. Bentley held up his hand as Murray stepped forward to open them.

"Allow me to use another technological trick I've come up with. I actually first saw this in a video game. It's called a fiber optic camera, and this one is rigged to show its image on my binocucom. Bentley pulled out a small metal cord and tried to put it under the door. It barely fit be squeezing it, and Bentley worried that it might break. But then he pulled out his binocucom and saw the black and white image perfectly. Beyond the doors was a medium sized room with banks of computers and TV screens lining the walls. A desk with a guard sitting at it faced the door, and several more people in uniform were working at the computers. Bentley pulled out his camera. "There are four guards on the other side of the door. Judging from its composition, we won't be able to just force it, but I think I can blow it open with a few bombs. Sly, once I've blown the door, take out the guard behind the desk. Murray, you rush the two on the left, and I'll deal with the one on the right." Bentley then set three bombs on the door and wheeled back, just before the door crumpled under the explosions.

Carmelita and Grey hopped a flight to America, where Carmelita talked with a few friends in the American Interpol branch. They were able to trace the flight Cooper came in on, and her contacts directed the two towards L.A. During their investigations, Grey acted the perfect gentleman, never calling her anything but Inspector Fox. Carmelita also noticed that beneath his genteel exterior was a driven man, who was bringing what appeared to be a wide range of talents to bear in the hunt for Xavius and his cohorts. Using a combination of smooth-talking and credential-waving they managed to follow the Cooper gang towards Montana, where the trail seemed to end. A musing about their search caught the attention of a toll booth attendant, who told them that she saw some people fitting the description heading towards a town called Little Albedo. Following this lead, they pulled into the parking lot of the town's only hotel in a stylish car that Grey had seemed to materialize at the airport. They strode into the lobby and up to the clerk.

"We're looking for a raccoon, a turtle and a hippo that may have passed through here," said Carmelita authoritatively as she pulled out her badge. "Have you seen anyone fitting the description in this picture?"

"Hey, you're that lady that caught Mugg-Shot down in Utah. Yeah, there were a couple a people who looked like that. They and the Cobras, they're our local biker gang, got in a tussle. Your people knocked 'em around and then drove off after them when the Cobras left. They're probably at the old mine the Cobras hang out at."

"Thank you sir," said Grey, and slipped him a twenty dollar bill. "Shall we be off to chase these miscreants further Inspector Fox."

"I've come close to catching Cooper before, and he always slips through my fingers. This time I feel something big is going to happen. This may be the time I finally catch that raccoon."

The door blew inwards and the Cooper Gang rushed in. Sly did a flying leap and landed feet first on the security desk. He immediately began thwacking the guard, hitting him several times with the cane. The guard attempted to block, but he never stood a chance. Murray rushed over and grabbed two security personnel and slammed their heads together. One of them, a kite, was made of sterner stuff than the other and slashed Murray with his claws. Murray danced back, but the talons cut the surface of his skin, leaving three bloody trails. Bentley calmly took aim and fired, catching the last guard in the back of the neck. Neither he, nor any of the gang noticed the small button under the console that the guard hit right before the tranquilizers overwhelmed him.

"Let's see what all this fancy computer stuff does" said Murray, seemingly unfazed by the three grazes along his belly.

"I should be able to hack their system from here. Sly, you see to patching up Murray a little. There are some bandages in the back of my chair." With these words Bentley wheeled over to one of the computers and began diligently working. After a few minutes, he looked up. "Whoever these guys are, their security is tight. I hacked this console, but it's an isolated server, meaning I can only access what's on these computers. There is scant data, with one of the most useful bits being a boot-up screen with the same picture as that patch and the acronym T.O.S. I have been able shut down a good chunk of the cameras. It also says there is a central control station. We should head there."

"This is beginning to feel worse and worse." Sly glanced behind him and continued. "This started by following a gang of bikers. We've found something that would be right at home in the X-Files or some conspiracy website. I mean, it's a secret base in America with guards and high tech security. Maybe we should back off and approach this with a little more caution." Murray stared at him incredulously for a minute, shocked that his daring friend was actually being cautious.

"We've already gone pretty far into this base-thingy, and we've got a great advantage here. I don't think anyone knows we're here. If we back off, they'll find the guards and this wonderful destruction we caused, and they'll get all uptight and have more guys and more guns and more cameras, and that just gets in the way of breaking stuff. We need to push on, continue forth, and discover uncharted territories deep within this place."

"Nice speech Murray. I feel very inspired," said Bentley, at the same time clapping.

"You're probably right Murray" said Sly. "Let's push on." The gang made their way through several more corridors. They were in high spirits which were made even higher by the lack of guard patrols they encountered. Finally they reached another set of double doors with a keypad to one side. Bentley produced a screwdriver, and after minute of tampering the doors opened. Beyond them lay a huge, abandoned room. It was filled with sleek computer stations, set up facing a large screen that took up almost an entire room. The screen was mostly taken up by a world map, with flickering dots of several colors. Memory banks lined one wall and the floor was a shiny white, like the rest of the facility. Bentley wheeled forward, followed by Sly and Murray, who scanned the room, looking for anyone.

"Seems unusual for a place like this to be abandoned," commented Sly.

"Maybe they ran from our ferocious might" Murray said as he began striking muscleman poses.

"Doubtful," said Bentley as he reached a computer station. "I want you two to be on your guard while I hack this station." Sly nodded and motioned to Murray. They fanned out and took up positions at each corner of the row of computers. After several minutes, Bentley began gesturing wildly and said in a gleeful tone "guys, you won't believe what I found." Murray and Sly moved towards their friend, only to be blown back as something flew over their heads and exploded right next to Bentley, sending him flying out of his chair.

"Well, well, well. What sort of varmints we got running around in our halls," a thick western drawl that seemed to appear out of nowhere said. Sly and Murray got to their feet only to be greeted by the barrels of six assault rifles. Tex stood in the center of seven guards, handing a bulky grenade launcher back to one of the guards. He was still wearing his biker ensemble, and seemed out of place in the sterile room. "You aren't a biker gang. You fine gentlemen are the infamous Cooper gang. I suppose I should'a recognized you from our files, but I never was good at paying attention to what our allies told us. Now, you can come quietly, or I can fill you full of lead." The guards brandished their rifles, but only Tex noticed a small metal sphere rolling towards them. "GRENADE!" he shouted and leapt aside. The rest of the guards tried to do the same, but all but two failed and were thrown back by the explosive. Tex picked himself up and rolled his head. "He sent you, didn't he?" Sly and Murray looked quizzical, but ready to fight. "That blue-eyed monster, Xavius, you're working for him aren't ya? I bet you just thought he was a normal, everyday crook, right? You've let yourselves be drawn into something you don't understand. I underestimated you, and now I'm going to kill you all." With that he fell to his knees and howled, flipping his jacket off and revealing a cartridge belt with two revolvers on it. Sly noticed a serpent tattoo that coiled up his arm, but had little time to consider it as Tex seemed to blur, drawing his guns and opening fire. Sly leapt towards cover as the hound dog went for his guns, but still felt a bullet graze his back in mid jump. He saw Murray jerk twice, then fall.

"Don't worry Cooper, he's not dead. I just grazed his skull a couple times to put him out until I'm finished with you. You beat me once, but I wasn't really trying. Now, I'm really putting my all in."

"Doesn't matter," said Sly from behind a computer station. "I've beaten bigger threats than you, and will in the future. You're just some petty thug with enough money to build a fancy place. I've seen button men with more vision." Tex seemed oblivious to this and shouted to the crouching Sly.

"You and that cougar are in cahoots, but you may have doomed yourself to something worse than death. Xavius hid his history real good, but we know better. You've allied yourself with the devil himself, and he'll drag you down to hell." Neither of the combats noticed Bentley drag himself towards the computer he had been working on. Bentley had discovered only the beginning of an incredibly complex computer system before he had been so rudely interrupted. He now focused all of his will on crafting a program that could be used to broadcast a message to Xavius. He was so focused that he didn't even hear the conversation between Sly and Tex. All he knew was that Tex and his men had damaged his wheelchair and hurt Murray. With a few keystrokes, he finished his program and with a tap of the enter key, he sent it onto the web and blacked out again.

A state away, an airstrip that normally was abandoned was humming with activity. It was owned by a series of dummy corporations that, if traced by an extremely dedicated seeker, would lead back to a powerful crime organization. Xavius paced in the large hangar that had been converted to the command center. He'd followed the Cooper Gang, and was now awaiting results. He still wore a long black coat and mirrored sunglasses, and they didn't seem even a tad disheveled despite the 70 degree weather. A computer tech called him over, and he read the text that had appeared on the screen. A sinister, vicious smile slowly spread across his face. His pointy-toothed smile would have triggered the fight-or-flight instinct in most prey animals, and it seemed obvious what most would choose. He turned to a black and silver clad tomcat whose uniform obviously was military in purpose and spoke.

"Begin Operation Mongoose."

"Yes, SIR!" responded the cat in a southern accent. He spun and faced the ranks of black and silver clad soldiers standing at ease behind him. Them he cleared his throat and spoke in a voice any army or marine recruit would recognize. "YOU HEARD THE MAN GRUNTS! Operation Mongoose is GO. MOUNT UP AND MOVE OUT you miserable wretches you!" As he spoke, the soldiers snapped to attention, then as a unit turned and moved quickly towards the helicopters waiting on the field. The tomcat followed, and the quickly boarded the larger troop carrier choppers. The choppers took off and flew towards the east, with Xavius watching. He continued to smile as he watched the assault helicopters, festooned with weapons, fly in escort of the troop carriers.


	9. The Serpent Fallen

I finally managed to sit down and write the next chapter. So much to do and the holidays. I hope everyone is enjoying my story, because it's just starting to heat up. HAHAHAHAHAHAHA. Also I hope the questions people asked were answered satisfactorily. If not, please contact me with your concerns.

Tex's eyes slowly slid across the control room, finally settling on the console Sly was hiding behind. He smile and began slowly edging towards the side of the room, revolvers drawn. His jangling spurs made his footsteps audible throughout the room. Suddenly he ran forward and leapt. Sly began edging away from the footsteps, but some form of sixth sense rang in his head and he leapt aside just as a hail of bullets came from above and hit where he had just been. He kept moving towards the side of the room, but didn't move fast enough. As he ran he began counting Tex's shots.

"One, two, three, four, five where I just was crouching," Sly thought to himself, "and, urgh, six, seven as they clip me in the shoulder and the leg." Sly dived to the side as five more bullets whizzed past where he had just been. He skidded to a stop, jumped over the console where he had been taking cover, and rolled towards Tex, trying to catch the gunslinger as he was reloading. His cane outstretched he slammed into Tex just as the gunslinger slammed his second revolver shut. They both hit the floor and Sly raised his cane to strike Tex. Tex reached up and suddenly Sly felt a burst of pain in his head. Tex pistol-whipped him again, and then managed to get his boot on Sly's chest.

"Get off me you miserable COON!" Tex shouted, "You don't know what you're getting into. You are fighting on the wrong side!" With that he pushed up and forced Sly off him. Then he lifted his boot and brought the heel down hard across Sly's chest. Sly tried to dive back, but was still sluggish from the blows to the head. Tex's spur left a nasty gash on Sly's chest. Sly fell back and began crawling away towards the bodies of Tex's guards. Tex rose and walked slowly over to Sly. He kicked the cane away as Sly continued to move towards the guards. "I'm sorry Cooper," Tex said, in an apologetic tone that surprised the thief, "but I can't let you get back to the League. I know the money sounded good, and some of the League members we killed were friends of yours. I understand all that. You don't understand though. You don't understand the full severity of what Xavius and his cronies are doing. They aren't just common criminals and"

"ENOUGH!" Sly shouted as he grabbed the guard's rifle by the barrel and swung it with all his might against Tex's skull. "You have gone on about what you're doing is right, but that's all you've done. No proof," sly said as he slammed the stock into Tex's stomach, "no information on why thirty-five people had to die," Sly continued as he hit Tex again, this time sweeping his revolvers from his hands, "and you hurt my friends. For this, you've got a lot to answer for."

"They're not all dead, some we just turned in." Tex leaned back on one of the consoles, barely able to move as Sly retrieved his cane. "That pretty Interpol inspector might know more, but I'm afraid you won't get a chance to ask her about it." Sly whirled around only to be faced with the derringer Tex had pulled from his boot. "We might have gotten along, but you chose the wrong side. See you on the other side Cooper." Tex lifted the gun, only to have his hand encompassed by a large pink fist.

"That's enough of that," said Murray, still holding his other hand to the side of his head. "I think you've done enough for today." Tex snarled and punched Murray in the face, but the large pink hippo just ignored him. Murray then yanked the derringer out of his hand and lifted Tex above his head. He threw the hound dog across the room, and heard a crack from Tex's leg as he landed. Bentley finally began to regain consciousness, groaned, then crawled back into his wheelchair.

"We should be wrapping this up fairly soon," said Bentley, "Before I blacked out I sent this location to our employers. You and your murders are done for a long time." He glared at Tex.

"DAMN YOUR SOUL turtle, damn your soul. You've just damned the world to whatever sick plot Xavius is doing. He won't turn us in. We killed his friends. He'll take justice into his own hands. His justice is not something anyone should face. You want information on what we were doing, listen close. Xavius isn't your garden variety of criminal. He's a bona fide genius, but a twisted one at that. He specializes in genetic engineering. Almost no morals plus genetic engineering equals what? I'm sure your turtle friend can tell you."

"I have a few ideas. Genetic engineering is a fascinating field, but no morals? That seems to be pushing it."

"Xavius is evil. I know from first hand experience. I was away raising funds for our organization, when Xavius caught up with my father and brother. My brother, he left for dead, but my father he took as a prisoner. Two years later I but a bullet in my own father's brain to put him out of his misery. Xavius used him as a test subject, and I didn't even recognize him except for his eyes."

"This is all very interesting, but where's your proof?" Bentley asked as he pushed his glasses up.

"Check the computer, you'll find our copy of the crime report MI6 filed while Xavius was in England. Thank god we evacuated all non-essential personnel when we detected you. There is only me and the security personnel, so he won't get much."

"I've found the file and, oh my, this is disturbing. I didn't know that could be done to a person, and uggh. It seems in order and it does implicate Xavius in a number of disturbing crimes. Oh, and what's this file, more evidence on the crimes of the Obsidian League, where did you get all this? I looked for a long time and never discovered any of this."

"We recently acquired some allies who helped us find it." Tex tried to stand, but immediately fell back down. "My leg is busted up good."

"Who's we?" asked Sly.

"We is the Order of the Serpent," Tex said, "you know how the Obsidian League was founded thousands of years ago right? Well not everyone agreed with them. It started with just a few policemen and criminals working together to hamper them, but eventually became a group dedicated to bringing them down. I'd love to get into the history, but I don't think we have the time. If I tell you what Xavius is up to, then will you promise to bring him down?"

"If these files are true, then yeah, we'll bring him down. No one tricks the Cooper gang and gets away with it," Sly said.

"Good, now listen. The Obsidian League recently targeted a series of criminal organizations and destroyed them, taking most of their money. The Order was in shambles, unable to fight since a vicious loss in the 1800's. We were rebuilding in America when the survivors of these organizations sought us out. They offered the information and what money they had left if we'd provide the manpower. After a while, we were ready to strike back, but not openly. We had to strike from the shadows and strike quickly. If we got caught they could wipe us out easily. We only have a few bases aside from this one. We were far more successful than we could have hoped for until" Suddenly an explosion rocked the room, followed by sounds of gunfire.

"They're here," said Tex, a grim look dropping over his face.


	10. Last Breaths

Welcome back, loyal readers, to my haven in the crashing planes of our warping reality. Out of the chaos I have pulled this story, forging it into what it is now with sheer will and mental force (as well as a great deal of typing). I apologize most profusely for the length between updates, but between my other life, school and a new computer, it has taken awhile. I sincerely hope the next chapter will not take so long. Perhaps Sly will topple the League, and I can guarantee someone will die by the end of the chapter.

John Friedricks had been a member of the Order of the Serpent for a long time. He had been slated for the kill team assigned to Zhaov before he broke his leg in a training accident shortly before the decided date. He was glad he had been injured after the report came in on what that ex-communist freak had done to the rest of the team. Now he was pulling sentry duty in one of the many hidden alcoves in the OS base exterior. He began patting the pockets of his green uniform for his smokes when he heard a strange noise.

WHUMP, WHUMP, WHUMP, it went at high speeds, getting closer every time. Friedricks looked up to see several black shapes on the horizon. He'd been through basic training, but couldn't quite make out the things because of the failing light.

Olaf Oriksson was a bad man. He'd been a mercenary sniper in Africa for years, killing and fighting for who ever paid him the most. Finally Vladimir Zhaov had approached him with an offer to work permanently for his forces. With the money Zhaov offered, Olaf had joined in a heartbeat. Now he was being lent to Xavius, his unparallel skill with a sniper rifle about to be put to use. He checked his watch again, counting the seconds until Operation Mongoose began properly. The last minute ticked away and he picked up his rifle and took aim at the fool that was squinting at the helicopters.

Friedricks finally made out the shapes, spinning around to warn the rest of the Order about the approaching helicopters when the bullet slammed into his chest. Hans Verport, another Order soldier witnessed this and fled into the complex. First a security alert that Tex had decided was dangerous enough to have the non-combat personnel evacuate, and now a sniper. He hit the alarm button, but by then it was too late. The first two assault helicopters flew low up to the base, raking it with gatling fire, killing several sentries. The following helicopters were filled with troops, who immediately began making combat drops from the helicopters to the base.

Grey and Carmelita approached the old mine the local had directed them to. They were mostly quiet on the trip, both angry that the fools from the local police refused to help them. Carmelita fidgeted, barely keeping her infamous temper in check. Grey was more serene, but a look into his eyes would have shown his anger as well. They had considered calling off the investigation, but decided to check out the biker hangout themselves, hoping to find Cooper and with him, a link to the Obsidian League. Suddenly Grey swerved off to the side of the road into some underbrush, and just minutes after several helicopters flew over the road.

"What was that!" Carmelita shouted as the car swerved aside. "There shouldn't be more than a prop engine plane around here, much less several helicopters that didn't look commercial."

"I don't know why those helicopters are here," Grey replied, "but they are headed for that supposed biker hangout. Now, I'm not familiar with American biker gangs, but I don't think military helicopters usually go after them. This is definitely worth investigating, but I think we should do it on foot."

"If it leads to catching Cooper, then I'm up for it. I am sick of chasing that stupid thief all across the globe!"

Sly, Murray and Bentley listened to Tex's grim warning and then rapidly began planning their escape if the facility was really being attacked.

"There are security personnel scattered in strong points across the facility," Tex said, wincing as he tried to rise. "I won't be leaving this place, but maybe I can help you escape."

"I don't completely trust you. All your evidence is good, but it could easily have been tampered with or changed. I never quite trusted the Obsidian League either, but they were willing to help find out who killed my friends." Sly turned away from Tex and towards his friends. We'll do some more research on the Obsidian League, but before that we have to escape. You said you could help us?"

"Yes, take the door my men and I came in through, and then take a right down the first hall. You'll see a door with a code panel. Type in 3-7-3. That will open a secret door elsewhere in the base." He rapidly gave instructions to the door as the sounds of fighting grew louder and more violent.

At least forty soldiers disembarked from the helicopters. They met minimal resistance as they cut down the remaining sentries. Then they used satchel charges to blow open the doors to the base from sentry alcove. Using discipline and tactics that would impress most militaries in the world, they blew through several doors that had been sealed to cut them off. The first Order of the Serpent soldiers they encountered were quickly smashed by the superior numbers and equipment of the silver-faced, black-garbed soldiers Xavius had sent. Only after the first OS guards had been smashed did the Obsidian soldiers hit real resistance.

Sgt. Yorin Velstater stuck his MP5 around the corner and fired blindly.

"What was that for sarge?" asked Mitch Carter, a newly recruited thug taken from the recent Joliet break-out. "It's not as if you gonna hit anything. Those Order bastards have set up a pretty tight barricade here.

"Just keeping them honest," the sergeant replied, "but yeah, I'm not likely to hit anything. This facility was designed for a fight like this, and there's no other way to continue on that we've found. There are teams trying to cut through, but that could take awhile, and state governments only stay bribed for so long." Velstater sighed, thinking that his squad was in for a long hard fight. They couldn't rush the barricade around the corner, that would be suicide. He'd just have to wait until some heavy weapons were brought up.

"What are you gentlemen waiting around for? There's too much to be done to just sit on your tails." The soldiers spun around as they heard a low, raspy voice that gave even the most hardened soldier goosebumps. A large figure had moved up behind them, silent as a grave despite his size. The soldiers had heard of this man. He was Xavius's personal killer, and rumors abounded about his origins. Little was known except for that he was one of the most vicious creatures any of the thugs, soldiers and mercenaries had ever known in any of their checkered career. "Well, if you brave boys can't be troubled to deal with that barricade over there, I guess I'll have to do it myself. Anyone got a flashbang?" Corporal Tharee took one out of his pack and slowly and shakily gave it to the man. "Might obliged. Now stand aside sergeant, and let a professional do his work."

"Y, y, yes sir," Velstater quickly stepped away from the corner. The figure smiled a toothy smile that made Yorin's knees go weak, and pulled the pin on the flashbang grenade. He threw it expertly, bouncing it off the wall so it his in the middle of the long hallway, halfway to the barricade. Exactly as it went off, he moved like a bolt of lightening around the corner.

"Think that guy can handle it?" said Carter. "He was real intimidating, but is he the real deal? Not every story I've heard about him can be tr" Carter's question was cut short by a rattle of machine gun fire, then screams. Lots of screams. A pistol barked twice, then went silent as the soldiers heard a ripping, cracking sound. Something flew down the hallway, and the soldiers hit the deck, assuming it was a grenade. As they looked up, they realized it was not an explosive device, but a green-uniformed arm.

Carmelita and Grey approached the mine on foot. Grey had produced a compact black pistol from his suit jacket, while Carmelita stuck with her trusty shock pistol. When Grey had proposed stealth, Carmelita realized that with a small army attacking the old mine, it was probably the best bet. She had been dubious about his attempts with stealth in a business suit, but he had shed the jacket and tie. She had almost hazarded a joke about his hated silver-screen clone, but decided to be slightly tactful. The moved in a wide arc, approaching on the left of the mine. Grey held up his hand for a halt, then moved on into a collection of rocks. Just as he stepped up to a large boulder, a black-uniformed figure with a silver face mask came around the corner facing Grey. He stepped back and reached for the automatic pistol at his belt.


End file.
